Operation Backpack - QCC Style

Starting off the school year with the proper school supplies is critical to getting off on the right foot. Whether that student is a young child or college-age, being ill-prepared to start school can bring about anxiety and contribute to unnecessary stress. QCC Veteran Affairs Director Paula Ogden understands the importance of helping to alleviate the stress, particularly as it relates to student veterans and members of the Armed Forces. As an advocate for QCC’s student veterans, she works tirelessly to secure resources that will help them in their adjustment to civilian and college life.

Recently the Veteran Affairs office received over 200 backpack donations filled with school supplies, just in time for the fall school year. According to Ms. Ogden the donations were made possible through area veterans organizations.

“We had a new representative, Angel Hogan, from the National Guard, who stopped by our office and was very impressed by what we offer here,” Ms. Ogden said.

Ms. Hogan was so impressed that she reached out to the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation and spoke with one of the Board of Directors, David Sutton. Mr. Sutton connected with Ms. Ogden and let her know the organization was stuffing backpacks at Empower Field House in Foxborough for veterans and their families, in an event known as Operation Backpacks. The Massachusetts Military Support Foundation worked with 200-300 volunteers from the New England Patriots Foundation and companies such as Ocean State Job Lot and Home Depot to fill the 15,000 backpacks with school supplies.

“The college’s Veteran Affairs program came to my attention and I thought it was spectacular and I checked with my partner and we agreed we should support them as well,” said Mr. Sutton.

"The next thing you know, we are picking up 200 backpacks that are filled to the brim with supplies,” Ms. Ogden said.

According to Mr. Sutton, servicemen and women have gotten specialized training for use in the military, but then they come back to civilian life and the skills they learned are pretty limited to regular day-to-day life.

“They want to keep going with their lives and while they can go to school on the GI Bill, they’re on a limited income. We want to help veterans and their children a bit with these backpacks and school supplies,” he said.

In addition to the donation from Massachusetts Military Support Foundation, Ms. Ogden was also in touch with another veteran’s organization, Project New Hope, Inc. This organization also wanted to offer assistance and donated 20 children’s backpacks filled with school supplies for younger children of veterans, in addition to some food donations. Rounding out the backpack donations, local veteran organization, Veterans, Inc., located in Worcester, donated 10 rucksacks (a ruck sack is a large backpack typically made of a strong, waterproof material and designed to carry a lot of gear). The first 10 veteran students who attended the Veteran Affairs student orientation held on the last week of August received a customized rucksack with an assortment of clothing, boots in their size and toiletries.

“This is just one of the many ways we work to support our veteran students,” Ms. Ogden added.

Visit QCC’s Veteran Affairs to learn more about available services and opportunities.